


A Sticky Situation

by thecarlonethatalsowrites



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Forced Companionship, Gen, bed sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 02:10:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13377906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecarlonethatalsowrites/pseuds/thecarlonethatalsowrites
Summary: A mission gone wrong leaves the Runaways superglued together





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be one chapter, but it got so massive I split it into two. Also, good luck figuring out where this fits into canon, because even I don't know. Just know that Nico and Karolina have not kissed yet

Karolina did her best to avoid making any noise on the linoleum floor of Victor Stein’s second, secret lab. She was glad she opted for rubber-soled tennis shoes which made almost no sound in the first place. It let her expend her attention on keeping a lookout for any traps or guards Chase didn’t know about.

“You seriously think our parents know about this place?” Chase whispered to the rest of the group huddled behind him. “It doesn’t look like anyone but my dad has been down here, and not for a really long time.” He dragged his toe through the thick dust on the floor to prove his point. “And it’s not like he’s around to tell anyone else about how to use the stuff in here.”

“This is only the hallway. We haven’t seen the lab yet, and we don’t want our parents to have any more advantage than they already have over us,” Alex said. He was only half a stride behind Chase. Gert, Nico, and Karolina walked side by side behind him with Molly and Gert’s dinosaur bringing up the rear, watching for anything dangerous sneaking up on them. Chase and Alex were on the lookout for any traps ahead of them, which left Karolina nothing to do but focus on staying quiet.

Not that she would have been the problem. Chase and Alex had kept up a constant stream of whispered bickering ever since they all met up outside of the secret lab. Since before that, actually. Chase destroying Alex’s laptop forced them to attempt to thwart their parents by themselves and had been the beginning of a rivalry Karolina couldn’t wait to see the end of. They wouldn’t have even managed to get inside if Molly hadn’t torn the front door off its hinges to interrupt the boys' argument about how best to proceed. After a moment of stunned silence, Chase shouldered his way to the front of the group to lead the way through the lab with Alex hot on his heels.

“Alex, would you just shut up and trust me for ten minutes? This is  _ my _ dad’s lab, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect,” Chase snapped. 

“Oh, that’s exactly why we’ve been wandering around lost. Because I don’t trust you,” Alex said, his voice a sarcastic bite. He had lengthened his stride so it was even with Chase’s, and they were walking so quickly they pulled ahead of the group by several feet. “Maybe it’s because you have no idea what you’re actually doing and just get a kick out of playing leader for once.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” Gert muttered. Nico rolled her eyes and Karolina threw her head back in exasperation. It was only because of that did she notice the hoses emerging from the ceiling.

“Uh, guys,” she said, only to go unacknowledged as Alex and Chase argued over her warning. “Guys!” She spoke up louder. Alex and Chase finally rounded on her, their fury at each other directed at Karolina. But she didn’t let that inhibit her and pointed up at the ceiling.

“Those weren’t there before,” Alex said when he looked up and noticed the hoses. Just after he spoke a thick, yellowish goo squirted from the hoses directly above him and Chase, knocking them down.

“Move!” Karolina shouted a warning and grabbed Nico’s hand to pull her back from the goo. She wasn’t fast enough to save Gert, who fell forward on top of the boys when her shoe got stuck in the mess already on the floor. Karolina felt something splash on her wrist and shivered.

“What’s going on?” Nico yelled as she glanced over her shoulder. Karolina followed her gaze to see Molly and Gert’s dinosaur — they really had to name that thing — also on the floor in a goo pile. Karolina flinched, ready to be drenched herself, but the hoses retreated back into the ceiling after that. The tiles on the floor slid away to reveal a grate, which the majority of the goo dripped through and disappeared.

“Don’t move,” Chase said. “Don’t touch anything, you two.” The warning was meant for Karolina and Nico, the only two who had escaped a total sliming.

“What is this stuff?” Alex asked as he unsuccessfully tried to lever himself into a sitting position. However, since he was in a pile on the floor and the other two people he was attached to stayed down, he was unable to manage it.

“It’s my dad’s version of superglue,” Chase said. 

“Oh, no. No, no, no, no.” Gert started wiggling in an attempt to get away from Alex and Chase. “Get it off me! Get me off you!”

“It’s too late,” Chase said. “This stuff dries in like four seconds.” Everyone on the floor groaned. Karolina didn’t know whether to sympathize with them or laugh. In hindsight, she would probably laugh.

She didn’t get the chance to do either because a dinosaur snorted hot air down the back of her neck. She jumped to the side with a shriek, dragging Nico with her.

“Dinosaur!” She yelled, more in shock than anger. She sent a reproachful look at it only to receive one back from the animal, which had pried itself off the floor and padded up to see what all the fuss was about. 

“Hey guys,” Molly waved upside down at them, her neck bent in a painful looking way so that she could see them. Her back and legs were stuck to the dinosaur’s back while her arms dangled uselessly at her sides. Karolina had to choke back a laugh at the sight. “How long does this stuff last?”

“Forever,” Chase answered.

“That’s an exaggeration, right? Right, Chase?” Gert asked with a note of desperation in her voice.

“No,” he said. “We need a special solution to unstick it.” He received a chorus of groans in response.

“Well I think we can safely say this mission was a total failure,” Nico said dryly. She glanced down at where Karolina still gripped her hand. “You can let go.”

“Um, actually I can’t.” Karolina’s heart sped up as she tried to open her fingers only to realize it was useless. “I felt something wet on my wrist and I think it covered my hand, too.” Nico’s glare was shot with disbelief. She didn’t say anything, which Karolina found more disconcerting than the look. Was Nico upset at being stuck to her, specifically, or just that she was stuck in general? 

“Ok, let’s retreat for now and figure out how to get unstuck,” Alex said. 

“Don’t touch us just in case we’re still wet,” Chase warned when Karolina made to help them up. “No one touch anyone they aren’t already stuck to.”

With a massive effort, Gert, Chase, and Alex managed to get themselves to their feet. Walking, however, would be another task in and of itself. All three were stuck together at the hip and Gert’s forearms were stuck to Chase’s chest. She blushed when she realized position and pointedly looked away. Chase tilted his head back to avoid her gaze as well.

The walk back to their cars seemed even longer than the one in. Not only was the group hyper-aware of any further traps and severely hobbled, but the bickering increased tenfold. Karolina thought Alex and Chase had peaked on the way in. She realized too late that their real superpowers were getting under each other’s skins, especially when they were forced into the world’s most awkward four-legged race.

On top of that, Karolina did her best not to make eye contact with Nico, which was pretty difficult seeing as they were  _ freaking glued together _ . Though the glue made the skin of her hand feel weird, she could still feel Nico’s hand and it was all she could focus on. This was so not good. She was at least grateful she wasn’t in Chase and Gert’s position. At least she could avoid eye contact semi-successfully.

They escaped the lab with no further incident. Nico and Karolina gave the others a head start on the way to their cars when Nico used her staff to repair the front door. Like every time Nico used magic, Karolina felt a kernel of awe in her chest as she watched the door fly into place and the hinges repair themselves.

“Way cool,” she muttered when Nico was done. Nico offered her a half smile in return as she shrunk her staff. Then they headed after the others.

“We have a problem,” Gert announced when the pair caught up with the rest of group. “How are we going to get out of here? I sure as hell can’t drive.”

“I can,” Karolina said. Gert may have been entirely indisposed, but only Karolina’s right hand was. Nico could ride shotgun and it would be like they weren’t even stuck together, kind of. “But your dinosaur won’t fit in my car.”

“I’m not letting you drive Beatrice,” Gert warned. “You drive like a crazy woman.”

“Beatrice?” Chase asked quietly, sounding incredibly confused.

“You’ve driven with me one time!” Karolina said, feeling the need to defend herself. “And we were on a high-speed chase then.”

“Gert, just let Karolina drive your car,” Alex said. He sounded exhausted. It may have been the late hour dragging him down, but Karolina had a feeling it was more the extra weight and the failure of their mission. As their self-appointed leader, Alex took these kinds of things very hard.

“Fine, ok,” Gert said. She nodded to the rear door, which was already opened. “Dinosaur, get in the back.”

“Hey, you can’t put me back here!” Molly protested as the dinosaur obediently started to climb in.

“Sorry Moll, it doesn’t seem like you have much of a choice,” Karolina said. Molly still grumbled as they slammed the door shut, but Karolina was much more interested in the way Alex, Gert, and Chase were going to fit in the car.

Chase seemed to have similar thoughts. “How do we…”

“Just get in there,” Alex said through gritted teeth like he was trying to psych himself up to do just that. “Don’t worry about being in a seat. I don’t think it’s possible right now.” He yanked the handle and took several deep breaths.

“Looks like one of us is climbing over the center console,” Nico said while their friends grumbled and maneuvered. “Not it.”

“You’re smaller,” Karolina said, her voice only the slightest bit apologetic. Nico heaved a sigh.

“Alright. Don’t let me fall on my ass,” she said before opening the driver’s door and sliding in feet first.

The car shook for a full five minutes as they all tried to get as comfortable as possible in their various conditions. Molly pulled her knees into her chest so they could get the back door closed and they were currently digging into the roof. Chase and Alex shared most of the back bench with Gert sprawled half on top of them, and Nico rubbed at the scuff marks she left on the dashboard with her boots.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Karolina said with a look in the rearview mirror at the miserable faces in the backseat. She was the only one to have escaped any awkwardness outside of some incredibly impressive contortionism to avoid providing any resistance for Nico to fight against.

“Please. Just drive,” Gert begged.

“Right.” Karolina started the car and started them on the road. “Where to?”

“We can go to my place and crash in the guest house,” Alex suggested.

“We can’t all go to the same place. That’s too suspicious,” Nico said

“As suspicious as traipsing through one of our houses like this?” Alex gestured to their bodies. “Besides, Chase, Gert and I don’t have a choice.”

“If we’re trying to not get caught, my place would be best. The only person we have to avoid is my mom, and she’s got too much on her plate right now to really notice us,” Chase said.

“We can’t leave Molly on her own,” Gert said. “She can’t go back to our house, she’s not even supposed to be in L.A.”

“Yeah, my parents are kind of oblivious, but there’s no way they wouldn’t notice if I brought a dinosaur home,” Alex said. “Chase is right.” Karolina yanked the wheel involuntarily and nearly ran them off the side of the road, she was so shocked at Alex’s words

“Dude, watch it!” Gert barked.

“Sorry! Sorry,” she apologized as she guided all four wheels back onto the pavement. Karolina realized she was clenching the life out of Nico’s hand and did her best to relax her grip, but driving a car that’s steering had seen better days with one hand was stressful. They were lucky it was 2 am and there were very few cars on the road with them. The backseat was a lure for law enforcement on the lookout for seatbelt violations, and if they got pulled over Karolina had no idea how she’d even begin to describe what was going on back there, let alone the dinosaur in the trunk.

“Anyway, Chase’s house would be best. We can hide Molly and the dinosaur in his dad’s lab,” Alex said.

“What happens if your mom comes knocking?” Gert asked.

“Hopefully she won’t before we get unstuck,” Chase said. “Which is another thing altogether. You have to buy a special solvent to get it off, and in this case, I think we’ll need a lot.”

“Where do we get it?” Nico asked.

“That part’s easy, they carry it at Home Depot. The hard part is how we’re going to get it because everything’s closed at 2 am and we can’t be seen like this.” Chase said.

“Karolina and I look pretty normal. We can go in the morning. You guys just have to hide out until we can get you the solvent,” Nico said.

“Promise you’ll go the minute it opens,” Gert insisted, and the look on her face was so pitiful that even if she had to drive all night to make it to a Home Depot for opening, Karolina would have done it.

“Of course we will,” Karolina promised.

They pulled into Chase’s driveway a few minutes after formulating their plan. Karolina shut off the headlights when they turned down his street just in case, though Chase insisted that his mom wasn’t going to be awake. Karolina thought they were better safe than sorry and winced when they all made enough noise trying to get out of the car that the lights wouldn’t have made a difference either way.

Finally, the vague outlines of their friends disappeared into Chase’s house without incident, and Karolina let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“So where are we going to stay?” Nico asked, and a jolt of fear made Karolina’s heart skip a beat. Her gaze flicked down to their conjoined hands before rising to meet Nico’s eyes.

“At the house of whoever’s parents we’re the least scared of, I guess,” she said. A look of blatant agreement passed between them. “My house it is.” She put the car in gear and drove off.

“It’s not like three hours of sleep is going to make much of a difference,” Nico said, although it sounded like she was speaking for herself. Karolina had no idea how she was going to be able to sleep with Nico right beside her. She was grateful the task of driving gave her an excuse to keep her eyes anywhere but on Nico.

“I saw a documentary or something about how twenty minutes of sleep can make a difference,” Karolina said, willing her voice not to break before every word. “Even if you just lay down and close your eyes.” Nico hummed thoughtfully but was silent. Even as Karolina parked Gert’s car where she usually parked her own. 

She spoke up when Karolina took the keys from the ignition. “It’s your turn to climb over the console. I’m so tired I’ll faceplant if I try.” 

“Fair enough,” Karolina agreed. Nico opened the passenger door, and they began the arduous process of trying to get out of the car. Karolina stumbled when her head cleared the doorframe, and Nico had to catch her by the elbow to keep her upright. She offered Karolina a small smile that was interrupted by a yawn, and Karolina smiled to herself.

The girls snuck through the door that Karolina had left unlocked after a peep through the window confirmed the security system was turned off. They tiptoed up the stairs to Karolina’s room, pausing every time the floorboards let out even the tiniest squeak. Karolina blushed at the thought of being caught by her parents and the suspicions they would definitely have at the sight of them holding hands. She was very glad for the darkness that kept Nico from seeing her flaming cheeks.

They reached Karolina’s room without incident, and Karolina closed the door silently behind her. She listened with her ear pressed to the wood for any sounds of her parents before striding over to her bedside table and turning on the lamp. It wasn’t much light, but it was all she was willing to risk in their current state. She turned to Nico, who seemed to be contemplating just that.

“Well this is going to be awkward,” she said, still staring at their hands as though the heat from her gaze could melt the glue binding them together.

“It isn’t already?” Karolina scoffed. Nico looked up and shrugged.

“Good point.”

“I have makeup wipes if you want to use them, but we may as well just sleep in our clothes. We’re going to be up in a few hours anyway.” Not to mention she wasn’t sure it was possible to change, and if it was she’d rather spontaneously combust. From the heat in her face, it felt like she wasn’t that far from doing just that.

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks,” Nico said. She followed Karolina to the vanity and waited while Karolina fumbled with the drawer she kept her makeup wipes in. 

Nico accepted one silently and made short work of her makeup. Karolina struggled a bit more, being forced to use her left hand. Nevertheless, she thought she did a pretty good job with her limitations.

She was about to vocalize this to Nico, but her breath caught in her throat when she turned to her. It had been so long since she had seen Nico without what became her trademark dark, heavy eyeshadow and razor-sharp eyeliner that she lost her train of thought at the sight. Nico was incredibly beautiful either way, but something felt special about seeing her without the mask they both established she wore. Karolina’s own mask was stricken from her face, as her jaw was slack as her mind worked frantically to come up with a string of comprehensible words.

“You missed a spot,” Nico said before Karolina’s brain could function properly, and Karolina was grateful that she stopped her from saying something incredibly stupid. “Here, let me.” Nico held out a hand for Karolina’s wet wipe and Karolina’s brain short-circuited. She handed it over obediently and held completely still as Nico gently rubbed one of her eyelids.

“Did you get it?” Karolina asked, her voice embarrassingly weak at their proximity. Nico’s hand stilled over her skin before slowly pulling away. Karolina kept her eyes shut as Nico examined her work.

“Yeah, you’re good,” Nico’s voice was surprisingly husky. Karolina’s eyes flew open and she startled somewhat when she actually saw how close they were. It was different seeing than just feeling, especially witnessing how intensely Nico was staring.

“Um, early start tomorrow. We should get some sleep,” Karolina whispered, afraid of speaking too loudly and slicing the moment to ribbons. Nico’s lips thinned as she pressed them together before pulled away with a nod.

They both kicked off their shoes before heading over to Karolina’s bed. Karolina stopped short when she realized they would have to share. And then her mind exploded for probably the fourth time that night.

Karolina usually slept on the right side of the bed, but that didn’t look like that would be happening tonight. Her nightstand and charger were on the right, so she fished her phone out of her pocket to set it on the nightstand before saying the first thing that came to mind.

“My battery is pretty good if you want to plug your phone in,” she blurted out.

“Thanks. We should probably set an alarm,” Nico said. They both sat, awkwardly since they were taking cues from each other, and cradled their joined hands in the generous space between them. Nico busied herself with setting an alarm on her phone. Karolina sat as still as she could and tried to avoid snooping over Nico’s shoulder. A few taps later, Nico plugged her phone in and set it on the nightstand next to Karolina’s. 

It took quite a bit of finagling but they both managed to get relatively comfortable under the covers. Karolina schooched as far to the edge of the bed as she could to preserve what remained of their boundaries. After tonight she didn’t think there were very many left, but there were still a few final lines that Karolina was too timid to cross.

Though she was the one adamant about them going to sleep, Karolina lay awake. She stared up at the dark ceiling, her eyes slowly adjusting and picking out minuscule patterns in the paint job. She tried to keep an ear out for Nico’s breathing, but she couldn’t tell if it was evening out or it was just her imagination. 

Karolina hoped Nico at least could get some rest because Karolina herself was too hyper-aware of the body mere feet away and the warm hand in hers. She had grown used to the strange feeling from the superglue, but even if she held Nico’s hand for the rest of time she would never get used to _ that _ feeling. It was like the butterflies she felt when she used her powers. Though instead of making her want to fly up up and away, these butterflies weighed her down and narrowed her focus to nothing outside the boundaries of her bed.

“Karolina?” Came the unexpected whisper that interrupted her whirlwind of thoughts. Karolina almost jumped — she truly thought Nico might have been asleep. “Are you asleep?”

“Not really,” she admitted. She heard a rustling and felt Nico turn on her side to face her. Almost unconsciously, Karolina mirrored her actions. “To be honest I don’t think I can.”

“Me either,” Nico whispered. Karolina swore she could see the whites of her eyes, even in the dark. “Even on regular nights, it’s...hard.” Karolina found herself nodding since Nico could at least see her silhouette if her vision had adjusted to the level that Karolina’s had.

“I get it.” She didn’t have to elaborate. Three simple words were all that it took to encompass everything they had experienced in the past couple years, both spoken and unspoken.

“Sometimes,” Nico said, “the dark feels like it’s trying to take me too.” Karolina stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. The silence stretched on for so long that by the time Karolina formulated a response she half wondered if Nico had fallen asleep. She spoke up anyway.

“I’ve been practicing with my powers,” she whispered. “Do you want me to keep the dark away?”

“What, like a human night light?” Nico asked, though her tone was far from biting. Karolina took it as an invitation. She lifted her free hand from under the blankets and with an impressive bit of maneuvering born from a literal lifetime of practice undid the clasp of her bracelet, letting it fall to the bed. With an enormous effort of will, she kept her skin normal at first, carefully turning up the glow little by little so as not to blind either of them until she was just bright enough to chase away the immediate shadows.

“How’s that?” She asked. Nico’s face displayed an expression of complete awe, but even so, Karolina was a little nervous about her answer.

“Wow,” Nico finally managed to say. “Is it hard?”

“Not really,” Karolina half lied. The longer she sustained the muted glow the easier it became, but for now, it still took quite a bit of willpower.

“You’re-You’re not the worst person to be super glued to,” Nico said. It may have been the shadows, but Karolina could have sworn she saw her blush.

“Better than Gert, Chase, and Alex,” Karolina ventured. She knew that the last one was a stretch, but she just had to know for sure. 

“By a hundred miles,” Nico said through a yawn. Her eyes slid shut, probably more from exhaustion than by her own volition. Karolina could have sworn Nico inched closer before her breathing leveled out for real this time. 

Karolina’s heart fluttered at the implication. Maybe she wasn’t crazy. Maybe this wasn’t all as one-sided as she previously thought. Karolina smoothed an errant piece of hair behind Nico’s ear as her hopes ran rampant in her head. Nico didn’t even twitch she was so deeply asleep. Karolina shared a secret smile with herself before clasping her bracelet around her wrist and closing her eyes, finally able to turn off her thoughts for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The resolution and feelings chat

It seemed like Karolina had only just closed her eyes when Nico’s jarring alarm of death metal woke her up. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut tighter, as though that would allow her to chase the sleep that was quickly evading her. As the alarm continued to rouse her, Karolina started to notice an ache in her arm that wasn’t there when she went to sleep. She reluctantly peeled her eyes open and took stock of her position, only to freeze halfway through.

Her and Nico’s heads were so close together they shared a single pillow. The reason her arm hurt was because she had slept on it at an awkward angle to allow Nico’s hand to slide under her neck. Her other hand had come to rest on Karolina’s waist and rose up and down with the breathing she fought to control. Nico seemed oblivious to the alarm and Karolina lay extremely still while her groggy mind tried to recall why Nico was holding her while they were in her bed. 

The alarm continued to play, which was the only thing that broke the spell Karolina was under. She wiggled slightly and Nico let out a long, unsatisfied groan before rolling over and pounding her fist on her phone until the alarm turned off. When it was, she groaned again, though this time she was face down and half buried in Karolina’s pillows, so it was somewhat muffled. Her movements served to remind Karolina exactly what went down only hours before since Karolina’s hand moved whenever Nico did.

“What the hell kind of alarm was that,” Karolina whispered cautiously. 

“The kind that doesn’t let me ignore it,” Nico mumbled. Her eyes slid shut and Karolina worried that she was going to fall asleep again.

“Wake up,” she said as loudly as she dared

“Absolutely not,” Nico grumbled. She made Karolina chuckle.

“You are definitely not a morning person,” she said with a grin.

“This isn’t morning,” Nico growled, turning her head so she could look at Karolina with one eye. “This is the middle of the night.”

“That’s fair,” Karolina said. “But as poorly as we slept, imagine how much worse the others are.” Nico grumbled a few choice swear words, but when Karolina rolled out of bed Nico allowed herself to be dragged along. 

Truth be told Karolina didn’t want to get up either. She was still exhausted from the late night, but that wasn’t the only reason. The only way she could think to describe why she wanted to stay in bed was because Nico was there. And that was definitely something she was going to dissect at a later date.

She knew she liked Nico, but until tonight she never realized how much. How she wished that this kind of thing could happen when...Karolina felt her face heat with embarrassment. Now was not the time for such thoughts. 

“You have an inordinate amount of pillows,” Nico said as she cast a critical eye over the disheveled bed.

“You can never have too many pillows,” Karolina shot back, glad to have banter to distract her.

“The only people who say that are people who have too many pillows,” Nico said. Karolina rolled her eyes and ignored the jab. 

She and Nico gathered their phones and Gert’s keys, and as cautiously as the night before snuck downstairs. Karolina grabbed a handful of Fiber One bars from the kitchen for her and Nico to snack on during the drive to Home Depot before they slipped out the back door and ran to Gert’s car. Karolina dumped the bars into the cup holders, realizing too late that she wouldn’t be able to eat and drive at the same time. She decided not to worry about it. 

She drove them to the nearest hardware store while Nico munched on one of the bars. At this hour the parking lot was vacant of anyone that could notice their awkward scrambling out of the car, which Karolina was grateful for. She ate a bar on the way in, tucking the wrapper into her pocket when she was finished. 

“How much do you think we’re going to need?” Karolina asked as she scanned the aisle signs for what they needed. 

“Depends on how big of containers they sell,” Nico said. “Probably a lot, though.”

“Aisle twelve is adhesives, why don’t we check there?” Nico gestured for Karolina to lead the way.

They walked close together in an attempt to hide their hands behind Nico’s skirts, but suspicious strangers didn’t look like they were going to be a problem. The store was a ghost town. Karolina didn’t even see any employees. Which meant they were lucky they found the solvent near the adhesives, because honestly this store was a maze and Karolina had no idea where to look if they didn’t find what they were looking for in this aisle.

“Looks like Victor is really into the super aspect of super villain,” Nico said, reaching for a can labeled “Stein’s Super-hold Adhesive Solvent” that was the size of a soup can.

“Good, because if they only came in those little super glue bottles I wouldn’t even bother buying it. I’d let Chase and Alex make it for us,” Karolina said.

“Do you really think they’d be able to work together long enough to get it done?” Nico scoffed.

“If it means getting unstuck from each other, definitely.” Karolina reached for another can and stuck it under her arm to grab one more. “Three sound good?” Nico nodded and they made their way toward the front.

Juggling three cans with only two hands between them was not the easiest thing in the world, but they managed to reach the register without dropping any of them. Karolina thought that was a big win and rode that high as she held Nico’s wallet so she could fish out a credit card. 

The feeling of triumph evaporated when she caught the curious look from the woman at the register.

“What happened to you two?” She asked while scanning their purchase. Karolina thought she was much too alert for it being this early in the morning. She and Nico exchanged a glance, trying to figure out a believable lie.

“A-a prank,” Nico said, quickly turning to the employee.

“Went horribly wrong.” Karolina raised their joined hands. “You should see our friends.” Nico’s crushed her hand so hard Karolina had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out. She was glad she stopped her, since she was getting too close to the truth, but couldn’t she do it in a way that didn’t hurt so bad?

“Before you say anything, I’m not good at lying to strangers when I’m this tired,” Karolina said to defend herself as they exited the store.

“Obviously,” Nico said. “I don’t blame you though. I could barely think of a response. And I can’t wait to get unstuck. I’ve had enough of climbing over consoles.” She glared at Gert’s car. Karolina had to agree with the sentiment. As much as she enjoyed Nico’s company, being forced to stay in close proximity was not good for her sanity and cardiovascular health.

They climbed back in the car and Nico went through the plastic bag containing the solvent. Karolina waited expectantly as she withdrew a can and picked at the lid with her fingernails.

“I think we need a hammer or something to pry the lid off with,” Nico said, letting the can roll to the floor out of disgust. Karolina groaned.

“I guess it wouldn’t be very fair if we got unstuck so long before the others,” she said.

“You’re saying the universe is trying to keep things equal?” Nico raised an eyebrow.

“Who knows.” Karolina started the car. “You want to text the others we’re on our way?”

“Yeah, sure.” Nico pulled out her phone. It buzzed almost right away with enthusiastic responses begging them to hurry, which Nico laughed at as she read them out loud to Karolina.

“Sounds like we had the best sleepover,” Karolina said through her laughter.

“I’m surprised none of them killed each other,” Nico joked.

“I’m surprised Gert didn’t die of embarrassment.”

“True. I wouldn’t want to be glued to my crush.” Karolina’s heart sank a little at Nico’s casual tone. Karolina herself was in exactly that position, and Nico’s words seemed to confirm just how one-sided her feelings actually were.

But when she risked a glance toward the passenger side, Nico was staring pointedly out the window. Her fingers were tapping nervously against her thigh.

“Yeah, it must be the worst, especially if you don’t think they like you back,” Karolina said, hoping Nico would read between the lines. Nico’s jaw worked side to side but she didn’t respond. Karolina pulled into Chase’s driveway before she could.

“You guys didn’t come a minute too soon,” Molly said in greeting when they emerged from the elevator. Gert’s dinosaur couched near the elevator looking hungry and irritated, keeping herself and Molly as far away from the bickering as possible. Karolina glanced around the lab for Alex, Chase, and Gert, finally laying eyes on them shuffling around Chase’s dad’s workstation. All three were talking as they appeared to be looking for something, and not a single one of their words were nice.

“What kind of moron doesn’t put his tools back in the right place?” Gert asked while Chase rummaged through an open drawer.

“I don’t know, maybe the kind who is sick with a _ brain tumor _ ,” Chase shot back. “Oh wait, that doesn’t excuse his actions, though, because you hold everyone to an impossibly high standard.”

“High standards would be very helpful if they were about organization,” Alex said. 

“Instead of judging my dad, why don’t you actually do some work for once instead of bossing everyone around.”

“Well for some of us that’s impossible because our arms are stuck because of your stupid, paranoid father!”

“They’ve been fighting ever since they got down here,” Molly lamented. “Probably all night, too.”

“What are they even doing?” Nico asked, an expression of horror on her face that Karolina was sure she herself was mirroring. For the same reasons, too. Neither of them wanted to be in the same room as the trio right now, let alone in close proximity.

“Looking for the hammer you asked for. They won’t take my advice, it’s under that car over there.” Molly pointed to a black sports car a few yards outside of the glass-enclosed lab. 

“How did it get over there?” Karolina asked as she walked over to it and dropped to her stomach to retrieve the tool. Nico crouched down without having to be given a warning, and once again Karolina was thankful for every event that led to being stuck to Nico instead of anyone else.

“Doesn’t matter,” Nico said. She helped Karolina to her feet when she slid out from underneath the car, hammer in hand. “Now who wants to confront The Three Stooges?”

“I’ve had to deal with them all morning,” Molly said to disqualify herself. Nico looked to Karolina with such a mournful expression that Karolina sighed in defeat.

“Hey, guys,” she called and waved the hammer in the air in front of her. “We found it.”

“What the hell was it doing under a car?” Alex asked as they started to hobble over. Fearing that walking would spark yet another argument, Karolina swiftly dragged Nico over to the lab. Gert’s dinosaur followed, seemingly more receptive to being in proximity to the teens now that they weren’t shouting at each other.

“No clue, but we found it so that’s all that matters,” she said, setting the hammer down on the counter. Nico set the plastic bag holding the solvent next to it.

“Alright, great. Open it up and unstick us,” Gert demanded.

“Actually, it would probably be faster if Karolina and Nico got unstuck first. Then they could both work to help the rest of us,” Alex said.

“No one asked for your dumbass opinion, Wilder,” Chase snarled, and the three dissolved into fighting once more. 

Karolina, Nico, and Molly all exchanged a look. They heaved a collective sigh before Nico picked up the hammer and Karolina held the can still as she levered the lid off. The dinosaur carried Molly around the lab before bringing her back clutching two paintbrushes in one hand. Karolina didn’t understand why paintbrushes were more accessible than a hammer in an engineering workshop, but she wasn’t about to complain.

Nico dipped a brush into the solvent, a clear liquid with a slightly blue tinge. It was much thinner than the super glue and easily dripped into the tiny spaces between their hands. Nico pulled her hand from Karolina’s as the glue dissolved. They both sighed and flexed their fingers, and though Karolina regretted the loss somewhat it was overshadowed by her overwhelming relief at finally being free.

“I’ll go help Chase, Alex, and Gert. You get Molly off that dinosaur,” Nico said, picking up the open can and bracing herself before striding over to the fight club.

“Now that’s love,” Molly said as she watched her go. Karolina choked on air and busied herself with opening another can of solvent so Molly couldn’t tell.

“What?” She croaked once her back was turned and she caught her breath.

“Nico’s subjecting herself to that disaster so you won’t have to. She must really care about you,” Molly said. Karolina spun around, defensive until she saw that Molly’s face was open rather than accusatory. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Karolina said as she set to work freeing Molly. Gert’s dinosaur crouched down helpfully so she could work. She was on edge from being so close to the it, but told herself that if it hadn’t eaten Molly yet then she was probably safe.

“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy your sleepover,” Molly teased, wiggling her eyebrows. “I’m sure you two had lots of fun.” She broke down into giggles as Karolina blushed.

“Molly!” Karolina exclaimed. “It wasn’t like that.” She had dissolved enough of the glue to allow Molly to sit up. Molly did and twisted at the waist to stretch her back while her face took on a thoughtful look.

“It’d be ok if it was,” she said, and Karolina looked up at her. “You guys are cute together.” Karolina risked a glance over her shoulder at Nico, who had only managed to free one of Gert’s arms due to a lack of cooperation between their friends. She was impressed Nico managed to get that far.

“You think so?” She asked, finishing with unsticking the last few inches of Molly’s legs.

“Totally,” Molly said as she slid off the dinosaur’s back. “It’s been fun girl. I won’t miss you, though.” She patted it’s shoulder semi fondly and it didn’t flinch away from her touch. “Anyway, you should go for it. I’m sure she likes you back.”

“Since when did you become the relationship guru?” Karolina questioned.

“Since I spent hours watching the worst kind of relationship ever.” She jerked her thumb toward the others. “Those guys have some major issues.”

“Don’t we all,” Karolina muttered. “May as well go help them out. Can you get that last can open?” Molly nodded and moved to the workbench while Karolina headed over to the other glob of teenagers and a harassed looking Nico.

“Can you work any slower?” Gert’s voice distinguished itself from the general complaining. Nico glared up at her from where she was crouching by their legs trying to unstick them.

“I could leave you like this,” she threatened. It seemed to finally shut them up, and Karolina was seriously impressed.

“Need a hand?” She asked, and the sighs of relief from all four of them was enough for her to get to work.

“Good, I was starting to run out,” Nico said, demonstrating by dipping her paintbrush all the way to the bottom of the can to get solvent on the bristles.

“Me too, but Molly’s cracking open the last one. We bought just the right amount,” Karolina said.

It took the rest of Karolina and Nico’s cans and a quarter of Molly’s to finally free Alex, Gert, and Chase. The instant they could, all three separated as far from each other as they could, shaking out their limbs and sending glares each other’s ways.

“Alright, now that that’s over, what’s our next move?” Karolina asked, trying to diffuse the tension.

“How about some of us  _ apologize _ to each other?” Molly said, crossing her arms and sending a glare so terrifyingly out of place on a fourteen year old Karolina almost took a step back. “I’m talking about you three,” she pointed at Chase, Alex, and Gert deliberately, “who all said some pretty terrible things to each other.” Chase blinked in surprise before looking over at Alex, who looked equally bewildered. Molly continued to glare at them until Chase sighed.

“Look, Alex. I’m sorry I destroyed your laptop. And for being a huge jerk about it,” he said.

“You weren’t the only one,” Alex said. “I should have let you do your thing at your dad’s lab. You do know what you’re talking about. Sometimes.” He grinned to keep the words lighthearted and Chase let out a short laugh.

“If we spent as much time fighting our parents as we did each other they’d be done by now,” Chase said. Nico and Karolina sighed in relief. Finally, someone said it. It meant a lot that it was Chase who did, too. He and Alex looked towards Molly, who still hadn’t relaxed her stance. The group turned to see who she was still waiting on, and Gert cringed under their stares.

“What?” She asked. “Nothing I say can stand up to what they just did.” Molly raised an eyebrow and Gert sighed. “Fine. I’m sorry for degrading you both the whole time we were stuck together.”

“Apology accepted,” Alex said. He eyed Molly, who appeared to be satisfied seeing as she dropped her arms back down to her sides. “Now I don’t know about you guys, but I could really use some sleep.” He received unanimous agreement from everyone.

“I can drive people home. Unless you want to crash here,” Chase offered.

“You really want to have another sleepover?” Alex asked.

“As long as you all take the guest rooms.” Chase grinned. Karolina burst into laughter along with the others. It was telling of how sleep deprived they all were that Chase was actually funny.

“You better lead the way, or I’m going to fall asleep on this floor right now,” Molly said.

“Alright, come on guys.” Chase jerked his head toward the elevator before leading the group over to it. Karolina watched as Nico started to follow and then did probably the dumbest thing she’d ever done.

“Uh, Nico, wait,” she said. “Can we talk for a sec?” Nico paused and Karolina could see the question plain in her eyes.

“Don’t wait up for us,” she said instead of asking. She stepped out of the elevator and Karolina watched the doors slide closed. 

The sound of the elevator engine whirring was the only thing that filled the lab. When it stopped, the total silence put Karolina on edge. She rubbed her hands together as a way to discharge some of her nerves.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Nico asked finally. Karolina let out a sigh.

“I just,” she began but stopped herself. What was she doing? Her brain was too tired to string words together, though it was desperately trying to. There was no way this could go well.

Although, that same exhaustion that impeded her thoughts also held back her inhibitions. This was a now or never moment.

“When we were in the car talking about crushes,” she started again haltingly. “I wasn’t being completely honest.” Karolina took a few steps so she and Nico were barely feet apart. “I like you. And I was hoping that if I dropped enough hints eventually one of us would trip over them, but after tonight I think it’s just better if I come out and say it.” Nico’s face was impassive, and Karolina wished more than anything that her superpowers included mind reading. Alas, she was abandoned to rely on patience, however anxiety-ridden, for Nico to voice her thoughts.

After what felt like ages, Nico finally spoke up. “I guess we’re both untrippable, huh?” Karolina laughed softly.

“Yeah, I guess we are,” she said. Her feelings butterflies had returned, but this time instead of weighing her down they lifted her up, gravitating towards Nico until she was putting a hand on her shoulder and leaning in close. 

She let Nico clear the last few inches until their lips connected and holy shit she was kissing her like she had never been kissed before. It was incredibly soft but still Karolina’s heart raced and she could barely focus on what she was doing. Which was a shame because she was finally kissing the girl she had a crush on for months.

It was Nico who pulled away first, a quiet “woah” escaping her lips. She blinked a few times before finally settling her gaze on Karolina.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a really long time,” Karolina said. Her words made Nico laugh.

“Obviously,” she said. Karolina blushed until Nico took pity on her. “Come on, let’s go find somewhere to crash. Our sleepover was way too short.” Karolina grinned and took Nico’s hand, allowing herself to be lead to the elevator.

“I very much agree.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, I had a blast writing! If you want to send me more prompts, message me at thecarlonewhoalsowrites.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I'd really appreciate it if you let me know what you thought. Chapter two will be up very soon!


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